Talk Me Into (or out of) Going Full Grandpa

[Triple Lindy]

14 minutes ago, WristySwing said:

 

Thinking about rocking these: 

 

 

Make sure to get mid-calf white socks to go with them.

[PJE]

Play whatever you like. If you hit woods and hybrids better than irons, do it! 
The only drag about more hybrids and woods in the bag is they take up more room than irons. 

[animalgolfs]

1 hour ago, WristySwing said:

 

Thinking about rocking these: 

 

 

T

Edited March 15, 2023 by animalgolfs

[animalgolfs]

FYI- I joined the revolution as well

 

3 fw 2 hybrids- 7i is my longest iron

 

You've also left out the long putter to truly convert😃

Edited March 15, 2023 by animalgolfs

[gator022]

David Lingmerth's bag reminds me of this thread and he's on TOUR!

 

 

By my count he has  15 clubs in the bag when you count putter, so something is coming out.  You're roughly looking at this:

Driver

3w 15@16 (I think?)

9w 24@22.5 (I think?)

4H 22@20.5

5H 26@24.5

6i G430 25.5

6i-PW i230 29.5, 33, 37, 41, 45

50-54-60

Putter

 

My guess is he's either carrying the 5H or the G430 as the club in that spot.  So either two 6 irons or a 5H and 6i down.  Either way if this guy is doing this on tour there is no reason we shouldn't consider building out a bag something like this.  It's definitely not for everyone.  There are guys like @Obee and @SmashGolfBall that are doing or have done a bag setup like this.  @Dan Drakehas written in numerous posts about the "new" golf bag setup in his opinion given the technology and options on setting your bag up that we didn't always have before.

[darkhelmet]

Don't forget to throw a handful of butterscotch candies in the pocket of your khakis to give out to the kids.

[Wayside]

I’m in the process of getting back into the game properly, and I’m all for the grandpa bag. 
 

Old bag was: Driver, strong 3w, 2-9, 3 Vokeys. X-flex shafts. 
 

New bag will be: Driver, 3 HL, 7w/3h/4u, 5-G, 2 Vokeys. S+ shafts. 
 

I used to get as much joy from the gear, but now I just want the scores. Also, there’s too long a waiting list, and too many £s required, to join the club I like. But they have special entry if you’re good enough to play in the team, so I need the lowest handicap possible. 
 

And I still wear khakis. Slim cut though, I’m not a savage. 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Wayside

[Milfordlefty]

Go for it! Another option could be a bag of hybrid irons

 

Mark Crossfield on Cleveland Launcher XL Halo irons

[llewol007]

There is a point where you play whatever works to shoot your best score. When you do that, no one will really care what you use. 

[Rapidcat]

19 minutes ago, Milfordlefty said:

Go for it! Another option could be a bag of hybrid irons

 

Mark Crossfield on Cleveland Launcher XL Halo irons

 

Yes, Mark is an advocate of GI/Super GI irons ('power bats' ha ha) and rinky dinks (hybrids) for everyone including him.

 

Park the ego, lower the score?

[postfold]

18 hours ago, WristySwing said:

Having said all that, I have one last ditch hairbrained scheme to maybe tip the scales in my favour --- lots of hybrids and fairway woods.  I figure I already suck, so I might as well look like I suck.  But all joking aside, here's the method to my madness.  I am usually fairly shallow and tend to sweep the ball.  This tends to be more conducive to a wood or hybrid style of play. 

 

 

 

All joking aside, I can relate to this, though my shallow sweeper swing only worked with irons for some reason, I've never been proficient with fairways.  Hit 95% of non-driver shots with an iron of some sort.  Finally a few years ago found hybrids that I got along with (i.e. they didn't go hard left all the time) and it's been great.  Started with a 21, added 17 and 25 and finally a 27 turned to 29.  Longest iron is a 6i.  Still hit the irons fine but the hybrids are stupid easy most of the time.  Got down to the lowest handicap of my life (<6) once I made the change, though it obviously didn't solve my short game and putting issues.

 

Go grandpa, shoot better scores, win money, laugh at the haters.

[ChipNRun]

I'm 72, and lost the front end of 2022 season with lumbar injections to get rid of lower-back trouble. Second half of season showed promise as I broke in my new irons.

 

20 hours ago, WristySwing said:

But all joking aside, here's the method to my madness.  I am usually fairly shallow and tend to sweep the ball.  This tends to be more conducive to a wood or hybrid style of play.  The adjustable hosels should allow me to tinker with ball flights.... {words of sorrow omitted} ...  I already play irons that are pretty techy, but the lofts get strong and I am finding it harder and harder to hit 5i consistently.  Lastly, I do have back issues, so the longer shaft may help me stay in a more athletic posture without putting too much strain on the SI joint.

 

My MAX irons have graphite shafts. Finally made the move. Picked up about 10 yards per iron with lighter shafts.

 

One thing you didn't mention is shaft weight. How heavy are your irons? Still shafted in steel, or have you gone to graphite/composite?

 

But... if you are going to lighter shafts, pester the fitter to order you a set with the swingweight kicked back up to D2, or about what your old SwWt was (unless it was D6 or something weird like that). With a D2 SwWt you can still feel when you're at the top, but you pick up clubhead speed from the lighter shaft.

 

My new set-up goes 4H to 5i... longer-flying 5i knocked 4i out of bag.

 

Also, don't be afraid to tinker with mix of shafts in irons. If your longest iron is 4i or 5i, don't be afraid to have a lighter shaft than in rest of your irons. The lighter weight will help with clubhead speed -> better launch.

 

20 hours ago, WristySwing said:

pair of double-pleated khakis, a bucket hat, and Footjoy GreenJoys to go along with my grandpa set or what?  Who has done this before?  Were you happy with it after a year?  Did the cap drop?  Did you have fun (that's the biggest thing for me).

 

First of all, I need double-pleated khakis so my thighs don't burst through the pants legs when I go after it on a long par 5. 

 

Second, did the cap drop? I can't tell yet, but the pain at the end of the round sure did lessen. Now I don't need to have the cart boy put my bag in the trunk after the round - now I can lift it in myself, just like old times...😉

 

Words of Hope... Guys with grandpa sets often save the day in charity scrambles. We're the guys who put a drive 220 down the middle on the short par 4 after the young guns have all blown theirs OB.

Edited March 15, 2023 by ChipNRun
Syntax.

[596]

3 hours ago, Milfordlefty said:

Go for it! Another option could be a bag of hybrid irons

 

Mark Crossfield on Cleveland Launcher XL Halo irons

I have a set of Cobra T Rail hybrid irons from 8 to SW at 5* and 6* gaps.  Super fun to play golf with these.  I love how high they launch.  With the high launch you'd expect a short distance but they just go high and long! They are also quite easy to fight down when needed. And the gapping of 5 and 6 degrees is great and very workable. 

[rgk5]

7 hours ago, animalgolfs said:

Grape Nuts and Multi-Grain Cheerios for the win

Easily bested by my turbo-oatmeal, 2-3 times per week

 

- one scoop of vanilla bean protein powder

- 1/2 cup of Quaker Quick Oats

- 8-10 frozen black cherries or 1/4 cup bluberries

- 3/4 cup of 1% or 2% milk

- mix in a casserole dish

 

Microwave for 2 minutes 30 seconds on high.  Cool down with 3  tablespoons of refrigerated yogurt, any flavour except chocolate.

 

Basically little fat or sugar and good anti-oxidents from the fruit.

[ezra76]

I didn't quite go that far but I shook things up. I had Apex 21 4-PW. I got a DCB 6 and 7i, took the shafts out of my 5 and 6i and put those in. I got a 5h 24* Apex hybrid and play that at 23*. Big difference. My 6 and 7i go the same as when I flushed the old ones but higher with 500more rpms backspin and more forgiving. The hybrid is nuts. 185 carry high as my 8iron. 

 

If you don't have the height, spin and relative ease then look into something else? I play mostly for fun but sometimes for a few bucks and sometimes with a bunch of guys and potential for a few hundred bucks. I want the club that's giving me the best shot to win. 

 

 

[20six]

Do it. Cart girls dig hybrids and blue cart flags.  Not sure how they feel about chronic flatulence, though.

[JDennis]

Absolutely do it! I did starting last year. I have Driver, 3w, 5w, 7w, 5H, then 6-PW, 50, 55, 60. 

 

I hit my Woods really well, usually after a wood or hybrid, I am usually 8 iron or less to pin. I rarely hit my 6 iron and never hit my 5 iron so ditched it for the 5H and added a 60 wedge. 

[st1800e]

Adding my setup as an example. Sorry for the font, pasted from elsewhere.  
 

My set today is Driver 9.5*, 3W 13*, 4w 17*, 7w 21*, 11w 25*,  Hybrid 30*, 34*, irons, 8,9,PW, GW, and 58* Sand/lob wedge.  

[jjr]

Came to see what "full grandpa" meant! LOL

I'll be 73 in 10 years, I'll come back and post then.

[JungleJimbo]

2 hours ago, st1800e said:

Adding my setup as an example. Sorry for the font, pasted from elsewhere.  
 

My set today is Driver 9.5*, 3W 13*, 4w 17*, 7w 21*, 11w 25*,  Hybrid 30*, 34*, irons, 8,9,PW, GW, and 58* Sand/lob wedge.  

 

 

😬🚫🤬

[me05501]

20 hours ago, Rapidcat said:

 

Yes, Mark is an advocate of GI/Super GI irons ('power bats' ha ha) and rinky dinks (hybrids) for everyone including him.

 

Park the ego, lower the score?

 

It's weird how people insist on framing club selections as being driven by ego. I don't think that's real for most of the players I know. 

 

If you're a sweeper, hybrids and SGI irons are a great choice regardless of handicap. 

 

If you hit down on the ball, those same clubs would probably perform much worse in your hands. 

Nothing to do with image. 

[Rapidcat]

11 minutes ago, me05501 said:

 

It's weird how people insist on framing club selections as being driven by ego. I don't think that's real for most of the players I know. 

 

If you're a sweeper, hybrids and SGI irons are a great choice regardless of handicap. 

 

If you hit down on the ball, those same clubs would probably perform much worse in your hands. 

Nothing to do with image. 

 

I'm with you on this, but I suspect many aren't, at least in my experience.

 

Oh well, they can revel in their higher scores🙂

[ode1]

You have my permission🙃 I had a case of the lateral rights and it was a) quit or b) make a set that was lateral right proof, which I did, 5 7, 9, 11 wood and 6-AW hybrids and traditional wedge.  Played some great golf that year.  Received quite a few comments and looks, etc.  but most people were more curious than anything and nice about it.  I wore the 7h out and had a nice punch cut from 130-140 that was $/drop and stop.  That set was so easy to hit!  I slowly went back to traditional irons and haven't looked back, but would not hesitate to do something similar again.

[WristySwing]

I have begun.  I ordered a second hand Stealth 3HL and 7W today.  I also ordered a used King Tec hybrid at the 4H loft.  I am going to try lofting it up to 22.5* and I am going to order a 5H to go with it and loft that up to 25.5*.  I might lose 5-7 yards on the fairways but at least they will be easier to predict where they will go.

[st1800e]

7 minutes ago, WristySwing said:

I have begun.  I ordered a second hand Stealth 3HL and 7W today.  I also ordered a used King Tec hybrid at the 4H loft.  I am going to try lofting it up to 22.5* and I am going to order a 5H to go with it and loft that up to 25.5*.  I might lose 5-7 yards on the fairways but at least they will be easier to predict where they will go.

I’ll be interested to see your results. 

[boggyman]

The 8-Pw arrived now awaiting the GW. Might even get the SW to boot. Already had the 5-7. Preferred individually for at the time, it was the only way to get them. F3 in Recoil 95. I’m in Grandpa mode minus the white socks and sandals. Temps dropping at night here in the low 20s next 3 nights so the greens will be covered! 

[ac6]

19 hours ago, JungleJimbo said:

 

 

😬🚫🤬

love it. he even went full grandpa on the font size

[Dan Drake]

[Hawkeye77]

I know it's tongue in cheek, but golfers "look like they suck" if they use hybrids? Old and fat if they do? Whatever.  I guess have someone feed you that cereal to complete your picture, haha.

 

Like anything else, use what works.

 

With the somewhat random potpourri of clubs you are suggesting, doesn't sound like much thought is going into fitting, just the latest and greatest YouTube review clubs (and why not, not claiming any moral high ground, lol).  And the "sweeper" notion suggests it's a swing issue, you don't want to sweep your hybrids at all, but that same issue would play into not being great with mid-irons.  Get a proper fitting, figure out the shafts you need and whatever gaps you want to have and see what results for a proper set for you.

 

I've been using some sort of utility club since the Orlimar came out - noting to do with "sucking" or being a sweeper, everything to do with finding clubs that work for what I need. My irons now start at 6i (may put a 5 back in this year, we'll see) and hybrids are definitely easier to hit for me than 3i and 4i and more productive overall than 5i but there are compromises.

 

I'm only here to talk you into figuring out what is best for your game and avoiding inaccurate stereotypes.  Shoot lower scores, play whatever the heck you want, and you can still dress like a doofus if want - if you ever become a real single digit, players will copy you.

 

 

[ChaosTheory]

What shots or capabilities does one lose when playing say a 9 hybrid instead of a 9 iron?  For me it might be partial shots.